Motor vehicles are known which are equipped with an automatic headlight range adjustment for the headlights. In this case, for example, a change of the headlight light distribution caused by a special loading or acceleration of the motor vehicle is automatically corrected.
It is now an object of the invention to provide an improved motor vehicle.
This and other objects are achieved by a motor vehicle in accordance with embodiments of the invention.
The invention is therefore based on the idea of equipping a motor vehicle with at least one headlight, with at least a first position sensor for outputting first position information, with at least a second position sensor for outputting second position information and with an actuating system, particularly a control system. The control system is configured for adjusting a light distribution, particularly a low-beam light distribution, generated by the headlight, as a function of first and second position information.
For this purpose, the actuating system preferably includes a control unit and/or a processor device, which are configured such that a light distribution, particularly a low-beam light distribution, generated by the headlight is adjusted as a function of first and second position information.
With respect to the hardware, the actuating systems may be an actuating system, which is known per se, for a headlight range adjustment, known per se, which, with respect to programming, is configured for implementing the invention.
Studies, on which the invention is based, have revealed that, despite the initially mentioned headlight range adjustment, known motor vehicles have a sub-optimally adjusted light distribution and, as a result, blind other traffic participants.
Further comprehensive studies have revealed that the causes of the above are position changes of the headlight, particularly of the low-beam light module, relative to the vehicle body, such as the vehicle body shell, the chassis and/or the vehicle occupant compartment. In this case, these position changes occur only after the mounting of the headlights and after an optimal first adjustment of the headlight light distribution (initialization, initial headlight adjustment), for example, in the vehicle assembly plant, in the delivery facility or in the workshop, and are, for example, caused by thermal or age-related material changes of the headlight and/or of the installation environment of the headlight.
As a result of the invention, by way of a first position sensor, the position of the installation environment of the headlight, of the headlight itself or of a headlight component can be detected, and by way of a second position sensor, the position of the motor vehicle or a motor vehicle component can be determined.
The above-mentioned unintended position change of the headlight or of a headlight component, which occurs after an optimal first adjustment of the headlight light distribution, relative to the position of the motor vehicle, particularly of the vehicle body, can thereby be detected and can be completely or partially corrected or compensated by way of a correspondingly configured actuating system.
Naturally, the invention also includes motor vehicles with several headlights and several first and/or second position sensors. Particularly preferably, it is provided that, in addition to the position sensors, further sensors, such as ABS sensors, wheel speed sensors, level sensors, pitch angle sensors or a speed sensor, are coupled with the actuating system, and corresponding sensor signals are also taken into account when adjusting the light distribution generated by the headlight or headlights.
In this case, the first position sensor is preferably placed closer to a headlight, particularly closer to a light source of the headlight than the second position sensor.
Particularly preferably, it is provided that the first position sensor is placed on the headlight or is carried by the headlight.
In a variant, the headlight has a low-beam light module, wherein the first position sensor is preferably placed on the low-beam light module or is carried by the low-beam light module, in particular, is indirectly or directly carried by a reflector or a lens of the low-beam light module.
The closer the first position sensor is arranged to the light source or to an optical element of the headlight or of the low-beam light module, the more of the above-mentioned unintended position changes can be detected by that sensor.
In contrast it is advantageous for the second position sensor to not be placed on the headlight and to not be carried by the headlight or its components. The second position sensor is preferably placed on the vehicle body, for example, on the vehicle body shell, on the chassis or on the vehicle occupant compartment, or is indirectly or directly carried by these.
As a result, the above-mentioned unintended position changes of the headlight, of the low-beam light module or of an optical element of the headlight can be determined relative to the position change of the vehicle body and can be corrected by the actuating system.
It is a further development of the invention that the first and/or the second position sensor for determining the position or the position change in space include a gyroscope, particularly a gyro instrument or a gyrocompass.
Another further development of the invention provides that the actuating system includes a control unit, particularly a processor device, which is configured for converting first and second position information and, if applicable, further information, to actuating information.
The actuating system preferably also includes an actuator unit, which is configured for adjusting a light distribution, particularly a low-beam light distribution, generated by the headlight, particularly by the low-beam light module, as a function of the actuating information.
The actuator unit may, for example, include a multiphase motor, which is appropriately configured and is coupled with the headlight, particularly the low-beam light module, in order to swivel or rotate the headlight, particularly the low-beam light module, vertically, particularly about a horizontal swivel axis, for adjusting the light distribution.
In a preferred embodiment, the first position information includes information relative to the position of the vehicle body, and information concerning the position of the headlight, particularly of the low-beam light module, relative to the vehicle body. The first position information preferably includes information concerning the position change of the vehicle body and information concerning the position change of the headlight, particularly of the low-beam light module, particularly relative to the vehicle body. Changes of the vehicle body as well as changes of the position of the headlight preferably result in changes of the first position information.
In a preferred embodiment, the second position information includes information concerning the position of the vehicle body, but preferably no information concerning the position of the headlight, particularly the low-beam light module, relative to the vehicle body. The second position information preferably includes information concerning the position change of the vehicle body but preferably no information concerning the position change of the headlight, particularly the low-beam light module, relative to the vehicle body.
It is a further development of the invention that the actuating system for adjusting a light distribution, particularly a low-beam light distribution, generated by the headlight, particularly the low-beam light module, is configured such that position changes of the headlight, particularly of the low-beam light module, of a reflector of the low-beam light module or of a lens of the low-beam light module, relative to the vehicle body, are reduced, particularly compensated, as a function of first and second position information. The correction or compensation preferably takes place based on a difference between the first and second position information.
First and/or second position information preferably each include position direction information, particularly in a plane parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and orthogonal with respect to the transverse axis of the vehicle. Position direction information includes, for example, a slope vector or a slope angle.
Particularly preferably, it is provided that the first position information represents a first angle of slope and the second position information represents a second angle of slope. The angles of slope are situated in a plane, which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, and which is orthogonal to the transverse axis of the vehicle. The actuating system for adjusting a light distribution, particularly a low-beam light distribution, generated by the headlight, particularly by the low-beam light module, as a function of the first position information and of the second position information, is configured such that the difference between the first and second angle of slope, as a rule, is essentially kept constant. Naturally, special situations are contemplated in which the difference between the first and the second angle of slope is essentially as a rule not kept constant, for example, when the light distribution is manually adjusted by the user or in the shop.
Preferably the position information, particularly the position direction information or the angles of slope, are initialized in the case of an appropriate, particularly a specified, compulsory or legally conformant adjustment of the light distribution, particularly the low-beam light distribution. For example, the initialization of the position information takes place within the scope of the motor vehicle production, particularly immediately after or during an appropriate first adjustment of the light distribution.
The motor vehicle preferably has a pitch angle detection system for the output of pitch angle information, particularly of the pitch attitude or of the pitch angle, of the vehicle body relative to the street level. The actuating system is configured for adjusting a light distribution generated by the headlight, as a function of first and second position information and of pitch angle information.
The actuating system for adjusting a light distribution, particularly a low-beam light distribution, generated by the headlight, particularly the low-beam light module, is then preferably configured such that, in addition, position changes of the vehicle body relative to the level of the street are compensated, particularly as a function of pitch angle information.
For this purpose, the pitch angle detection system has at least two level sensors (forward and rearward) for the detection of the forward and the rearward level, respectively, of the vehicle body with respect to the forward vehicle axle and the rearward vehicle axle, respectively.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.